Diesel News: POST HERE

[Redline]

I welcome all these new Chrysler/Dodge Diesels! I hope the 4.2L Cummins isn't too heavy for the Wrangler and they actually put one into production. But...

In the current October issue of Diesel Power magazine on page 32 they report some diesel Jeep gossip:

In 2010 the Mercedes CRD in the Grand Cherokee will be replaced with the new 4.2L V6 Cummins...

and

"Rumors continue to flare up about the Wrangler nabbing a four-cylinder diesel, also potentially in 2010, as does word on the street about a Wrangler-Unlimited-based Jeep pickup."

I would like to buy either of these with the Rubicon package!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[haven]

Here's a list of new diesel powered vehicles we'll see in the 2010 or 2011 models years, as reported by Winding Road magazine

Acura TSX, RDX......2.2L 4..... 258 lb-ft......41 mpg highway
Audi A4......3.0L V6.....406 lb ft......43 mpg highway
Chamco pickup.....small diesel ??
Dodge 1500......5.0L V8......500 ft-lb...... ?? mpg
Ford F150......4.4L V8......430 ft-lb...... ?? mpg
Mahindra pickup......2.2L 4......300 lb ft.......35 mpg?
Mercedes GLK.....3.0L V6.....398 ft-lb.....32 mpg
Nissan Maxima......3.0L V6...... ?? ...... ??
Porsche Cayenne......3.0L V6......406 ft-lb...... 25 mpg?
Subaru Forester, Outback......2.0L 4..... ??..... ??
Toyota Tundra, Sequoia.....4.5L V8.....479 ft-lb.....23 mpg
VW Touareg2.....3.0L V6.....406 ft-lb.....25 mpg

Read the whole story here:
http://windingroad.nextautos.com/windingroad/200811web/

 

[Rallyroo]

Here's a list of new diesel powered vehicles we'll see in the 2010 or 2011 models years, as reported by Winding Road magazine

Read the whole story here:
http://windingroad.nextautos.com/windingroad/200811web/

Interesting read.

 

[Redline]

Bob Lutz on Future of Diesels

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xXA22Q0qXNM

Comments...

 

[ujoint]

I'm a firm believer that the Germans are the top dogs in the automotive industry, so I tend to trust their judgment. I think the 4500.00 that Lutz stated is a little exaggerated, especially in a small car......... I just read an article about the MB diesels hitting the market as we speak, and they're being offered at a pretty reasonable price increase.

After reading the winding road article, the MB diesels cost $1000 more than the gas, and VW's are about $800!!!! I've been considering a new car purchase, and I would love to be able to choose from some small diesels.

 

[Redline]

Good points.

We have a VW Golf TDI. Other than a few gremlins, we really like it.

Maybe Lutz is giving us a the story of what THEY (G.M./Americans) think they will and won't be able to do with diesels in light-trucks.

I was at my local Ford dealer for parts last week, and looked at the prices on new 6.4 Power Strokes on the back lot. I’m not excited about (ever?) buying another big-diesel pickup. MSRP was about 47-54,000 for the nicely appointed ones, about 9k of that was the retail price for the 6.4L diesel engine and auto tranny. Those numbers make my '06 Runner look inexpensive. I better keep the big, old Power Stoke I have for when I need a big truck.

I'm a firm believer that the Germans are the top dogs in the automotive industry, so I tend to trust their judgment. I think the 4500.00 that Lutz stated is a little exaggerated, especially in a small car......... I just read an article about the MB diesels hitting the market as we speak, and they're being offered at a pretty reasonable price increase.

After reading the winding road article, the MB diesels cost $1000 more than the gas, and VW's are about $800!!!! I've been considering a new car purchase, and I would love to be able to choose from some small diesels.

 

[haven]

Volkswagen gave Autoblog a look at its plans to introduce additional diesel-powered models.

today: Jetta and Jetta Sportwagen--2.0L diesel
mid February 2009: Touareg2 -- 3.0L diesel
Fall 2009 (as 2010 model): Rabbit with 2.0L diesel shared with Jetta

The bad news is that the Tiguan SUV needs to add a tank to hold urea solution to meet emissions regulations,
and there is no space for it in the current design. So it may be a while before we see the Tiguan diesel sold in USA.

http://www.autoblog.com/2008/09/18/vw-rabbit-tdi-confirmed-for-next-fall-no-diesel-tiguan/

 

[Mav]

I resisted getting a diesel powered 4WD for a long time due to the problems associated with their poor power performance but that all changed with the introduction of the Common Rail engines.

I now own a Toyota Landcruiser Prado 120 series and have owned it since Nov 07. This engine is a little powerhouse, gone are the days of not overtaking unless there is no oncoming traffic for about 5 km's. :xxrotflma

I have a 180 litre fuel tank which gives me a cruising range of around 2000 km when driven at 100 km/hr or if driven harder at 120km/hr I can still get around 1750 km out of a tank.

Here is my rig:

 

[Gurkha]

I resisted getting a diesel powered 4WD for a long time due to the problems associated with their poor power performance but that all changed with the introduction of the Common Rail engines.

I now own a Toyota Landcruiser Prado 120 series and have owned it since Nov 07. This engine is a little powerhouse, gone are the days of not overtaking unless there is no oncoming traffic for about 5 km's. :xxrotflma

I have a 180 litre fuel tank which gives me a cruising range of around 2000 km when driven at 100 km/hr or if driven harder at 120km/hr I can still get around 1750 km out of a tank.

Here is my rig:

The HINO built 4L diesel engines used in Toyota TLC have enough torque and hp to pass most gassers in its class as well as being more reliable and longer lasting than the TLC gasser. Diesels are workhorses, off road they are indispensible due to their nature of low end torque. Having owned both gasser and diesel off roaders, my vote would always be for diesel, be it TLC or G Wagen.

 

[haven]

As discussed here earlier, GM is looking for a buyer for its medium truck division. The agreement with Navistar fell through. Now the best candidate is Isuzu. GM already sells several Isuzu medium trucks as GM W-series and T-series, and GM uses Isuzu engines in the larger Kodiak trucks, too. Most of the Isuzu trucks are cab forward designs, but they make a conventional cab model, too.

If Isuzu does take this division off GM's hands, I hope they will either keep the Kodiak 5500 4x4, or even better, replace it with Isuzu's FTS 550 and 800 4x4 models.

 

[mauricio_28]

I resisted getting a diesel powered 4WD for a long time due to the problems associated with their poor power performance but that all changed with the introduction of the Common Rail engines.

I now own a Toyota Landcruiser Prado 120 series and have owned it since Nov 07. This engine is a little powerhouse, gone are the days of not overtaking unless there is no oncoming traffic for about 5 km's. ...

I've now driven two Common-rail TDIs, a Mitsu Pajero and my present rig, a D40 Nissan Navara. No problems overtaking with the Mitsu. Starting 1,700 rpm, the Navara is a rocket. People are actually surprised to see such a big beast move to spritely...

 

[haven]

Pickuptrucks.com is reporting that Toyota has put on hold plans to make the 4.5L V8 diesel available in the Tundra. The reasons given are
-- the high price of diesel fuel is discouraging buyers from looking at diesel trucks
-- it's proving difficult (read: expensive) to meet the USA truck emissions standards
-- the gas engine Tundra is suffering a sales decline

I think Toyota will just sit back and watch how the marketplace reacts to the Dodge Ram 1500 with 5.0L V8 diesel and the Ford F150 with 4.4L V8 diesel.

I think all the manufacturers are missing a great opportunity to sell smaller pickups and utility trucks with a 4 cylinder diesel. The reason may be that Ford, Chevrolet, and Dodge don't want to affect the sales of their full-size trucks. Toyota, on the other hand, already sells more Tacomas than Tundras. 4 cylinder diesel would be a perfect fit in the Tacoma.

Diesel fuel is a lot cheaper today than only a month ago. According to the US government web page that tracks fuel prices, the national average for a gallon of diesel fuel declined to $4.02 last week. Regular gas rose to a national average of $3.83 due to effects of recent hurricanes.

$4.02/$3.83 = 1.05.

This means that diesel fuel is selling at a premium of only 5%. Diesels typically get a minimum of 15% better fuel mileage, so you'd save money with each fill-up. Coupled with the potential for longer service life and higher resale value, a small diesel truck looks like a winning proposition.

Chip Haven

 

[haven]

John and Helen Taylor are an Australian couple with a history of squeezing the most out of a liter of fuel. VW of America flew them stateside and handed them the keys to a new Jetta TDI 2.0L diesel. 9,400 miles later, the Taylors had visited all 48 states, and posted a result of 58.82 mpg along the way. That's a new record for a street-legal vehicle in USA.

While the Taylors used lots of tricks to achieve this small fuel consumption figure, they did drive within 5 miles per hour of the posted speed limit during the trip And the Jetta remained stock, no skinny tires, no extra aerodynamic aids.

Previously, the Taylors drove a stock Peugeot 308 XS HDi 1.6L diesel around the perimeter of Australia. They covered 9000 miles and averaged 75 mpg. If car companies in USA would offer smaller diesel engines here, we could see even higher mpg results.

Chip Haven

 

[haven]

At the Paris auto show, Audi is showing an A4 diesel that shows what VW might do in future diesel models. The A4 has the corporate 2.0L turbo diesel, tuned to produce 210 ft-lb of torque (down from 236 ft-lb). The show car has electronics that shut the engine off when the vehicle is not moving. A second battery is added to provide power to accessories like radio and A/C fan that would need to keep running when the engine is shut off temporarily. Regenerative braking is added to keep the second battery charged up. The power steering pump is replaced by an electric type. The rear brakes are activated electrically as well.

Result: 59 miles per US gallon in the Euro version of the combined driving test. The current European 2.0L TDI is rated at about 40 miles per US gallon in combined driving, so this is a big improvement.

Chip Haven

 

[haven]

Edmunds Inside Line is reporting that the BMW X1 small SUV concept shown at the Paris Auto Show is definitely coming to the North American market. One of engines BMW plans to make available is the four cylinder 2.0L twin-turbo diesel. In European trim, this engine produces 295 ft-lb of torque.

The X1 is based on the new BMW 1 Series platform. The 123d is available with the 2.0L twin turbo diesel in Europe today, where it returns about 42 mpg on the Euro combined driving test.

Chip Haven